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City Islanders get much-needed result, much-needed production in Saturday's 5-3 victory

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Shown earlier this season against Dayton, Morgan Langley (right) tormented the Dutch Lions by scoring twice in the final eight minutes of the Harrisburg City Islanders' 5-3 victory.
(Sean Simmers, PennLive.com)

Find the back of the net a number of times — whether Wednesday night in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup or Saturday afternoon in USL PRO play — and it's likely a positive result is eventually going to tag along.

For a Harrisburg City Islanders group that netted just three goals in its first six competitions, ringing up a handful of scores in a 5-3 victory over Dayton on Saturday afternoon at Skyline Sports Complex had the USL PRO club beaming afterwards — yet hardly satisfied heading into a brief respite.

It also reinforced some strong beliefs those same attacking players carried concerning their ability to finish consistently and create scoring chances, beliefs that until this week hadn't been turned into tangible on-field results.

And with Bill Becher's club heading into a respite of sorts — the City Islanders won't play again until they meet the Premier Development League's Baltimore Bohemians in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup on May 28 — generating momentum, confidence and scoring some goals was critical.

"I think our result this week, Wednesday in the Open Cup, was big and kind of got us back on a roll," said winger Jimmy McLaughlin, whose deflected dish from the right wing set up Morgan Langley's game-winning score in the 83rd minute of Saturday's victory. "This one really left us on a positive not going into the break.

Jimmy McLaughlin assisted on Morgan Langley's game-winning finish in the 83rd minute of Saturday's 5-3 win by the Harrisburg City Islanders. Just a few minutes earlier, McLaughlin and Langley got tangled up and tripped while going for a ball in the penalty area that also could have led to a Harrisburg goal.PennLive.com files

"It would have been a tough two weeks with a bad result today and we would have been itching to get back. Now we can build on this and grow over the next couple weeks, relax a bit and then get right back at it and keep this train going. Because we need to carry this momentum throughout the rest of the year."

"We're trying to get on the same page, having new players," Langley remarked. "Now I think we're clicking. I felt very comfortable with what the other guys were doing off the ball when I had the ball and they felt comfortable with what I was doing off the ball when they had the ball. That's what we've been looking for.

"It's just continuing to refine that and continuing to work on our chemistry going forward. I think we're gonna be fine personally, I've said that all year."

The City Islanders certainly were fine — offensively — as Saturday's contest played out. Generating scoring opportunities and, for the first time all season at home, putting something behind an opposing goalkeeper.

*Clesio Bauque scored twice, his first finish arriving in the 19th minute when Langley won a ball near the midfield stripe and sent it over the top. When Bauque gained possession, he took a touch, side-stepped keeper Matt Williams and promptly found an open net that soon had a ball waiting to be fished out.

*Bauque collecting his second goal in the 23rd minute, cashing in on a restart set up when Langley was fouled just outside the penalty area. Bauque's score also gave the City Islanders a 2-1 advantage.

*Neil Shaffer made the score 3-1 in the 47th minute, blasting home a 12-yard strike after Luan Silva's restart from the right flank was smacked away at the top of the six by the beleaguered Williams.

*Even after Dayton rallied to tie the game at 3-all, Langley struck in the 83rd minute, planting a laced 14-yard shot behind Williams after McLaughlin's dish from the right wing was slowed by defender Shane Smith.

*And finally, in second-half stoppage time, Langley's strike from some 10 yards beyond the midfield stripe bounced twice in the area and tumbled in to make the score 5-3. While Garret Pettis slowed Williams' attempt to move the ball across midfield, Dayton's Brock Granger didn't get much on it and Langley took over.

Shown earlier this season against Dayton, Clesio Bauque scored two goals in the opening 23 minutes to give the Harrisburg City Islanders a 2-1 lead.Sean Simmers, PennLive.com

"That's funny, because I always look to see if the keeper's off his line," Langley admitted. "It just so happened they were all pushing up and the ball just landed [and there was] no pressure. The keeper was obviously off his line just to pick anything up quickly. So I just thought, 'Why not have a go?'

"When it went in the back of the net, I was like, 'That was pretty cool.' ... I was just hoping it was going over his head. Once it went over his head, I figured with him turning he wasn't going to catch up with it," Langley continued.

"But that's just something that happens."

LANGLEY, MCLAUGHLIN GET TANGLED UP

Several minutes before Langley connected for the eventual game-winner, he and McLaughlin got tangled up just inside the penalty area while going after a ball that would have put both players in on Williams — alone.

Since both tripped and fell, possession reverted to Dayton.

Moments later, they hooked up for a needed score.

"We were both trying to make a play," said McLaughlin, one of four players on loan to the City Islanders from Major League Soccer's Philadelphia Union.

"We're both guys that like to make things happen and we were both thinking the same thing and just kind of ran into each other. But yeah, very ironic that we link up on pretty much the next play so it was awesome."

"That's that near-post run we've been looking for all year," Langley said of the game-winning score. "So I was poaching on the near post, and playing with Jimmy so often you know he's gonna strike the ball across the goal. So once he did that, you want that deflection. You want that deflection and luckily it landed in my path. Once I saw it hit the back of the net I was just relieved to be honest.

"[To go from] 3-1 to 3-3, getting tangled with Jimmy when we're both in on goal, that was definitely some relief there when Jimmy played that across to me."

BECHER LAUDS BARRIL, SILVA

After getting starting nods in Wednesday's U.S. Open Cup victory, target forward Jose Barril and attacking midfielder Luan Silva were back in the Harrisburg lineup when Saturday's game began.

The USL PRO starts were the first for both players, who had to wait for their respective international paperwork to be approved before they could join the club. Needless to say, Becher was happy with the way both performed.

Jose Barril made his first USL PRO start for the Harrisburg City Islanders, playing effectively before leaving in the 70th minute after taking a elbow in the upper right chest area.PennLive.com files

Before leaving in the 70th minute after taking an elbow in the upper right torso, Barril was active in the middle of Harrisburg's suddenly explosive attack showing the ability to hold the ball when needed and keep it moving at other times.

Same for the innovative Silva, who was plugged in right behind Barril in the City Islanders' 4-3-3 schematic. Showing a willingness to take on defenders or keep possession, Silva also uncorked the restart from the right flank in the 47th minute that led to Shaffer's strike from some 12 yards out.

"Jose's a guy we've been waiting for," Becher said. "He's been here since the beginning, but his paperwork wasn't done — and I think he makes a world of difference. His movement. His touch on the ball. His decision making.

"He's a big factor. And Luan, that's his first game starting. That's another guy that wants the ball, pings the ball and I think those two guys kickstarted our offense.

"But give a lot of credit to Morgan and Clesio," Becher added. "Jimmy McLaughlin came in and did great. So it's not all about two players, but those two players complemented some other guys we have pretty well."

SUDDEN FIRST-HALF APPEARANCE

With the City Islanders holding a 2-1 lead in the 39th minute, the hosts suddenly had a 12th player on the field when one of the many groundhogs that call Skyline home zipped on to the field and created several of its own highlights.

Some 90 minutes or so after Saturday's game came to a close, this guy/gal was spotted snacking on the grass field at Skyline Sports Complex. Much earlier, in the 39th minute of Harrisburg's 5-3 victory, another groundhog or the same one hustled on to the field and cut down one of the touchlines before finding refuge on the stadium's east bank.Michael Bullock, PennLive.com

Displaying terrific pace — for a groundhog — he/she made a crisp overlapping run near the east touchline right in front of the City Islanders bench that startled players and coaches, made a 90-degree cut after passing Becher, geared up even more and dove into one of the dens located on the east bank.

"I had no idea what it was, I was freaking out," said McLaughlin, one of the players on the Harrisburg bench at the time. "I thought it was gonna run at me, so I was kind of glad when it kept scurrying by."

"It was a comical moment," Becher added. "We said had that been one of our earlier games, it might have been the most exciting part of the game. But I think the play on the field was the most exciting thing today."

With the first quarter of the USL PRO season now complete, the City Islanders were able to leapfrog Oklahoma City and move into 12th place in the standings. Dayton sits just one point above Harrisburg in 11th position. ...

Bauque's first finish brought an end to the City Islanders' season-opening scoreless streak at Skyline at 289-plus minutes. Bauque also delivered several back flips during his goal-scoring celebration. Becher's club also came from behind to win for the first time this season. ...

Dayton's first two scores were set up by City Islanders giveaways. Aaron Schoenfeld collected his first goal in the opening minute after Harrisburg's Richie Marquez sent the ball to Eli Garner on the left flank. Garner centered the ball to Schoenfeld, who pushed Matt Bahner to the ground before sticking the ball in.

Garner connected in the 65th minute, benefiting when Bahner's attempted clearance fell to Schoenfeld several yards outside the Harrisburg penalty area. Schoenfeld toed the ball forward to Garner, who skipped a shot under keeper Nick Noble that brought the Dutch Lions within one (3-2).